Operation Ellide Provider

In 2008, the number of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia, aimed at various purpose ships, from strategically important ships and carriers, to resort yachts and liners, increased significantly. The main target of pirate attacks was chartered UN vessels with cargoes from the World Food Program (WFP) and humanitarian aid for African countries, especially Somalia. In this regard, it was decided to provide protection for these vessels, in the form of vessels of other states, which will be able to protect and accompany the runway vessels in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. Such states were France , Denmark , the Netherlands and, finally, Canada . But on September 27, 2008, the agreement expired, according to which the ship of the Canadian Navy escorted vessels with humanitarian cargoes of the runway. ^[1] Therefore, the main reason for attracting such an international organization as NATO to this serious problem was that WFP again turned to states for help, and the UN needed to find new representatives who could continue the mission carried out by the Canadian courts no less successfully. This was found in the person of the NATO organization, which agreed with the appeal of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on September 25, 2008.

Initially, the operation was planned as temporary. The main objective of Operation Alliance Provider was to ensure the safety of ships of the World Food Program. That is why the main tasks for the NATO naval forces performing the operation were to accompany the vessels carrying the cargoes of the runway, as well as to patrol the waters in the Somalia area. When escorting WFP vessels and patrolling the routes on which merchant vessels are most at risk of criminal attacks, NATO ships could use force in accordance with the sanctioned rules for the use of force and the relevant provisions of international and state law. Thus, NATO conducted its operation, contributing to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1814, 1816 and 1838. NATO provided anti-piracy capabilities by coordinating its activities with other international structures and countries, including the European Union . ^[2]

During its first Allied Provider operation, NATO escorted UN vessels in eight separate cases and helped secure the delivery of more than 30,000 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Somalia. ^[3] Successfully completing its mission, on December 14, 2008, NATO passed the baton to the new EU anti-piracy operation Atalanta. ^[four]

For the operation, the SNMG-2 was selected, which includes seven ships from Germany , Greece , Italy , Turkey , the United Kingdom and the United States . However, when the operation took effect, only three vessels were selected for the mission: from Italy, Greece and the UK ^{[2] [5]} :

• “Durand de la Pene” (flagship, destroyer D560 of the Italian Navy);
• "Themistoclis" (frigate F465 of the Greek Navy) ;
• Cumberland (frigate F85 of the British Navy) .

• NATO Official Site (www.nato.int)